Most Clicked BIO SmartBrief Stories
1. Foreign countries hope to attract U.S. biotech firms, report finds
BIO SmartBrief | May 24, 2012
More countries are adopting innovation-friendly policies to attract U.S. biotechs, according to a report commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The report cites as examples Germany, which is encouraging the development of regional bio-clusters, and France, which is promoting eight regional biopharmaceutical clusters. Mass High Tech (Boston) (05/21)
2. Drugmakers are likely to partner with payers, survey finds
BIO SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Drugmakers are likely to involve health insurers more closely in the drug-development process to demonstrate benefits and ensure drugs are listed on payers' formularies, a Quintiles survey found. Drugmakers cited regulatory obstacles, insufficient funding and payer resistance to covering new drugs as the biggest challenges to drug development. MedCityNews.com (05/22)
3. Senate approves user fee bill for pharma and medical device industries
BIO SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
The Senate passed a bill that would reauthorize the FDA prescription drug and medical device user fees and create new user fee programs for makers of biosimilars and generics. The bill would increase the user fees to be paid by makers of brand-name drugs to $4.1 billion, 6% higher than the previous five-year period. The House could vote next week on the legislation. MedPage Today (free registration) (05/24) Bloomberg Businessweek (05/25)
4. Merck and Sanofi reportedly make first-round bids for Amylin
BIO SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
Sanofi and Merck & Co. each offered to buy Amylin Pharmaceuticals for at least $25 per share, or more than $4 billion, in an initial round of bidding, sources said. Takeda Pharmaceutical and Bristol-Myers Squibb reportedly will bid as well. Bloomberg (05/26)
5. BIO supports bill that would extend life science tax credits
BIO SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., has introduced a bill that would revive and expand the Therapeutic Discovery tax credit program for biotechnology and life sciences firms. Extending the program "will not only create more good jobs here in America, but keep us at the forefront of life-saving innovation," Menendez said. If approved, the legislation will help expedite the development of life-saving drugs, BIO president and CEO Jim Greenwood said. NJBIZ (New Jersey) (05/25) American City Business Journals (05/25)
6. Bioreactor allows stem cell production by the billion
BIO SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
Canadian researchers have developed a bioreactor for the production of billions of induced pluripotent stem cells derived from adult skin cells. The researchers used their process to produce stem cells without the cancer-causing gene cMyc. The team, whose results were published in the journal Nature Methods, has worked with mice cells and says human applications are possible. Calgary Herald (Alberta) (05/24)
7. An entrepreneurial ecosystem could further medical research
BIO SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
Researchers who invent life-saving drugs don't become billionaires the way some IT entrepreneurs have, due in part to the high cost of drug development, Matthew Herper writes. Emphasizing diagnostics instead of drugs, keeping the path open for disruptive innovations, allowing freer flow of data and extending patents would help create a more entrepreneurial ecosystem similar to the information technology field, Herper writes. Forbes (05/18)
8. GSK unveils drug data as it seeks takeover of HGS
BIO SmartBrief | May 25, 2012
GlaxoSmithKline is releasing detailed results from Harmony 6 and Harmony 7, two Phase III trials of once-weekly diabetes treatment albiglutide. The drug is partly behind GSK's bid of $2.6 billion for co-developer Human Genome Sciences. "Glaxo's drug is reasonably likely to partake in a very big and dynamic market," UBS analyst Gbola Amusa said. Bloomberg Businessweek (05/24)
9. Study: Takeda's vedolizumab fares well against ulcerative colitis
BIO SmartBrief | May 23, 2012
A Phase III trial found that more than 40% of patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis reached clinical remission one year after taking Takeda Pharmaceutical's biologic drug vedolizumab. Researchers said the drug achieved study goals with significant advantage in bowel healing, clinical response and remission rate compared with placebo. Hartford Courant (Conn.), The (05/22)
10. Improve Your Mental Toughness in 2 Minutes
BIO SmartBrief | May 29, 2012
OPEN Forum blogs (05/28)
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